Mmegi

CTO Gov’t fleet crisis deepens as vehicles grounded

The bottlenecks appear to extend beyond funding shortages PIC KENNEDY RAMOKONE
The bottlenecks appear to extend beyond funding shortages PIC KENNEDY RAMOKONE

Government is facing a growing fleet management, with scores of State vehicles lying idle and deteriorating at the Government Fleet Management (GFM) workshops formerly known as Central Transport Organisation (CTO) due to funding constraints and mounting procurement inefficiencies.

A visit by Mmegi to the workshops in Gaborone revealed rows of government vehicles parked bumper to bumper, many of them grounded for years, according to sources within GFM. Some units, including relatively new models, depicted signs of being parked for years, raising concerns over asset deterioration and wastage. Mechanics at the facility, speaking on condition of anonymity, painted a troubling picture of a system under strain.

“Government-owned vehicles have been piling up for years, some waiting for parts and some waiting to be sent to private garages for servicing. Some of these cars came here seeking minor attention; now they are aging here with the government claiming to not have sufficient funds to fix them,” said one mechanic.

Editor's Comment
Batswana need to do better to stop FMD

It is a clear signal that the government’s purse is empty and that our own behaviour has left veterinary officials fighting with one hand tied behind their backs. We have been here before. During COVID-19, many of us thought we knew better. We ignored simple rules, we carried on as if the danger was someone else’s problem, and the virus took lives and left our economy on its knees. We are still broke from that experience. Yet now, with FMD...

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